Implement for cutting leather and the like.



N01 815,543 PATENTEDMAR. 20, 19.06. B- R- W- IMPLEMENT'FOR CUTTING LEATHER AND'THE LIKE.

' APPLICATION FILED JAN. 9, 1905.

5 SHEETS SHE'BT 1.

- inventor:

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No. 815,643; PA TENTED 20, 1906.

' E; Rr'SHAW. y i

IMPLEMENT FOR-CUTTING LEATHER AND THE LIKE.

I APPLIOATIOK FILED JAN. 9, 1905.

5 sHEBT-SHEET 2 MMM,

Q No. 815,643.

T E. SHAW.

IMPLEMENT FOR CUTTING LEATHER AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 9, 15051 PATENTED MAR 20, 19 06,

- 5 SHEETS-SHEETK w vz zyaf witheaaes:

- cflt'torneya No. 8l5,643. JP'ATENTED MAR. 20, 1906.

v 'E.R., SHAW.

IMPLBMENTFQR-UUTTING LEATHER AND THE LIKE.

APPIIIGATIORFILED JAN. 9, 1905.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 4 llllllllllillllllllllil Wzm Ifljz OrWeya v wz't n eases:

1%; 815,643; I PATEN'TBD MAR. 20,. 1906. E..R..SHAW.

IMPLEMENT FOR CUTTING LEATHER AND THE LIKE.

APPLIUATION FILED JAN. 9,1905.

' 5 SHEETS-SHEET To all whom it my concern:

j EDWARD t. SHAW, or LYNN, MAss ouUsErrs.

Be itknown that I, EDWARD R. SHAw, a

' citizen of the United States, residing at Lynn,

county of. Essex, State of Massachusetts, have invented a certain new and useful Improvementinlmplementsfor Cutting Leather andthe Like, of which the following is a speci- These patterns are frequently made fremwithjbrass and are quite fication, reference'being had therein to the accom anying drawings.

eretofore in the manufacture of shoes it has been eustomaryfor the-cutters to cut out' the various parts of a shoe from leather by hand, using patterns. and a hand-knife.

strawbo'ard bound expensive, a full set of thesepatterns consisting of one for each piece that goes to make up a-shoe' As many sets ofthese' patterns are required as there are sizes of shoes to be made. These patterns take up considerable" room for storage-,and much time is wastedby b l the cutters in obtainin the. right patterns from the .storeroom. oys are often em.- ployed tofindfand bring to thecutt'ers' the patterns required.- Very ,considerable skill is also required of the cutter when using these patterns' injproperly manipulating the knife to obtain the best results,isince otherwise the piece out out will'not be the exact size and shape required or the edges will be slightly beveled. After the pieces of leather have been cut out by the aid of thepattern and.

hand-knifeit is custorri'aryto prick them at certain points with. a pricker or smallhandawlto guide the workmen in performing certain su sequent o ture of the-shoe. dhis prickinqmust be done with great precision.v It is ,a so convenient cutter stamp them. as they are out out with the letters R and L, respectively.

My invention has for its object the roduction of'an; implement, device, or too which.

that certain of the parts- 'as, for instance? the va1np' be marked to indicate which are rights and which are fleftsf v This has previously been accomplished 'by having the shall do away with the necessity offdifferent sets of patterns andwhich shall-perform the operations of cutting, pricking, and markingpsimultaneously and automatically; The piecescut by this implement arealways true and of the exact size required. They are always precisely prickedand correctly marked. A large savingin time isalsoefiected, as the cutting, pricking, and marking are all'done at one operation, and this. operation is per.-

i I Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed January 9,1995. swarm. 240,183.

these 0 erations. M

My evice may be used in cuttin leather erations in the manufac-' ,rection' indicate YIMLEMENT Foncurrmeg.LEM-HEP; AND THE LIKE.

Patented March 20,1906.

formed in less time than required forthe performance of any one of has heretofore been I or similar material, itbeing especial y adaptedffor the cutting of the various parts of bootsand shoes, pocket-books, ba sand gloves, aswell as in the manufacture of a large number of other articles of'a like nature. I have not as yet employed in "invention in the cuttingof very hard and. t '01: leathersuch, for example," as harness and ,sole' leatherhut contemplate its employment forthis purpose. j

While I have shown in the accom anying drawings my invention as embodie' in two formsone for cutting the/quarters and the other'for cutting thevamps of boots and shoesI do not H311 to be understood as limiting myself to these particular forms, since I e reve my'inventio'nto be a pioneer invention, and it is; evident that itmay beada ted I to cut out ieces of almost any shape wit out de 'arting from the spirit of the invention. I y Y invention will be readily understood from the following description, in" which reference is made to. the accompanying drawlngs, and the novel features thereof are pointed out and clearly defined" in the claims at the end of this specification."

In thedrawings, Figure-1 is a top plan view of an implement embodying. the' inventionand suitable for use in cutting. thequarter's of a shoe. Fig. Qisasimilar view with the upper face-plate removed: to show the interior construction. F ig; 3 is the-same, but with theedge'pie'cesextended to cut a larger-sized quarter. I the device shown in Fig. 2 looking in the diby the arrows in that figure, certain parts b ing'in sectionfor greater clearness. Fig, 5 is-the same'view with the parts in the cutting position. Fig. 6 is a sec' tion', somewhat" enlarged, on line 66, Fig.4.

Fig.7 isa view, on an enlarged scale, of a por-' tion of Fig= 4" with; the pricke'r' in section. Fig. 8 isa section'on line 8 8,, Fig. 4, also enlarged; Fig. 9 1's a section also enlarged. Fi 10, Fig; 1, alsogen arged. Fi 1'1 is an en'- larged view showingthe over apping' of the on-line 99', Fig. 5,

Fig. 4 is a view of the sidewallof" 1'0- isa section on line 10 knives..- Fig. 121s anenlarged" view showing:

Fig; 13 isa section oflt eraek 'on line 1313, Fig. 7. "Fig. 14 is a viewjshowing my invention as" arranged for cuttihg Vamps the means providedifor the adjustment of the I knives. 1 1 o.-

for shoes. Fig. 15 is a detail of the vampcenter marker.

Referring to the drawings, and particularly to Figs. 1, 2, and 3, A designates the top face plate, and B the-rind er or lower face-plate, of an implement embodying my invention and adapted for use in cutting the quarters of shoes. These faceplates are made in the shape required, in this case in the shape of a quarter, and serveto support and inclose the various parts of the mechanism. The two face-plates A and B are kept at the desired distance from each other and are supported by means of the corner or guiding posts C, which are held in place by the screws D, said screws D acting as pivots and allowing the posts C to turn slightly about their longitudinalaxes for a purpose to be explained later. Edge pieces E and cornerieccs F surround the face-plates Aand B, to lowing their edge contours and forming, with the face-plates A andB, a sort of box. In this specification I sometimes use the term edgepiece to-irielude both" the edge piecesE and cornerpieces F, it being clear from the context whether the term is usedin its general or particular sense. The inside surface of the edge and corner pieces is the exact pattern of the piece to be cut. tached to the adjacent edge pieces E by means of sliding pins G, fast in the cornerpiece F and sliding in corresponding holes in the adjacent edge pieces E. In practice I have used two pins G of circular cross-section at each of these joints; but other forms may be used-sueh, for instance, as a single slide .of rectangular cross-section slightly smaller than the cross-section of the edge piece E or the corner-piece G. The top and bottom outside edges of the edge and corner pieces are beveled, as shown at 100, as seen in Figs. 4

v .and 5, to permit the workman to see well under the edges of ,the tool or implement when placing it near scars or imperfections in laying out the work.

Thesize indicated by the inside edge of the edge and. the corner-pieces E and F when inthe'position shown in Figs. 1. and 2 is that of the smallest piece which can be cut with articular implement or tool. The various arger sizes are produced by moving the edge and corner pieces outwardly in unison and through a uniform distance. This movement is produced and :ontrolled by the following meclni'nism: 1

At lllltlOOlltOl of the tool and suitably supported 'in holes in the two face-plates A and B is aTspindlc 1, (see Figs. 1, 2. 3, and 11),)

forincdiwith a squared portion 2 and cylindrical ends 3 and 4, screu-th readed for a portion of their length, as shown at 5 and (i. The l'ace-platos'A and B are formed with circular spindle 1,.

Each corner-piece F is at- 'depressi ons7 and 8', within which are received the indicators 9 and 10 are flush with or slightly below the surface of the face-plates, so that one face-plate may lie directly upon the surface of the material to be out. no matter which side up the im )lement or tool is being used. It will also e seen that none of the parts )roject above the level of the faceplate. T c exterior surfaces of the faceplates A and B about the depressions 7 and S are graduated, as shown in Fig. 1, with numbers indicating the sizes of the parts of the shoev or other article to be cut out by the use of the tool. The indicators 9 and 10 also form a convenient handle or thumb-piece by means of which the spindle 1 and its connected parts may be rotated by the workman when d esired.

A part 11, which for convenience I have termed a crank-piece, is fast to the squared portion of the spindle 1. This erank-pieee 11 may be of different shapes, according to the particular shape of the tool in which it is employed. In the case of the quarter-cutter, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, it is of irregular shape, while in the case of the vamp-cutter (see Fig. 14) it may be conveniently made of circular shape. vided at suitable distances front its center with holes, in which are inserted the bent ends of the connecting-rods 12, 13, 14, and 15, which runto the corner-pieces F. The connectii'ig-rods 12, 13, I4, and 15 are supported and guided in their movement by holes in the corner or guiding posts C, these posts being pivoted, as previously described, to enable them to accommodate themselves to the varying positions of the connectingrods. For convenience I provide each of the connccting-a'ods 12, 13,.14, and with adjusting means by breaking the connectingrods in their centers and providing the adjacent ends with right and left scrmv-threads, respectively, as shown at 151 and 152. These screw -threaded ends are received within a corresrmndingliy-threaded sleeve 16, by the rotation of which the connecting-rod maybe lengthened or shortened, as desired. A setscrew 17 is also provided to prevent theparts working loose.

The outerends of the co1mecting-rods are received within slots in the corner-pieces to which the connecting-rods are pivoted. This arrangement is clearly shown in Fig. 8, which is a detail of the lower right-hand corner of the device. shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3. In this figure the slot is designated 18, the vertical pivot 19 being seen in cross-section. It is not necessary that this slot or recess 18 be extended through the wall of the corner-piece F, as shown in Fig. 8, it only being necessary that the end of the connerting-rod 15 be given sullicient room to play.

When the workman desires to cut out a part. of any given size within the range of the implement, he turns the indicator 1.) to the '55 v i r i Bible toicut eitherrights; or lefts by simply point on the dial corresponding with the size .J desired, thus rotating soinewhatthe cra'nkp ece 11 and moving the various connectin rods 12, 13, 14,- and 1115'; The connecting sliQesG serving to maintain the parts in the same relative positions.

I It istherefore to be seen that by properly p'roportioning the parts, and especiallythe radia pivot 1 "to the points at whieh theivai'ious I2Qnn t ngd 12, 4,, an 15 are ,tachedto the crankepiecell, a device is pro-. 45

dueed iii which the proper sha e is maintained i each ofthe' sizes for whic it is used 'It is alsov to be noted that at. the toeend of the quarterecutter a modification of the conhectf ing-rod mechanism is employed on account of the peculiar conditions, prevailing there wln this case, the connecting-rod 14 is pivoted at itsout'er end to the edge piece E while a.

bran h l nne in o 1 s p ta y n.- nected to the sleeve 142 at 143, its other end passing through the hole in the corner pivotalpost G and being attached to the cornerfpiecefF in the usual manner. This arrange- -n 1 ent produces substantially the same action H he pan was b ii e eirsd or Certain s ruc uralf ea' ens Y s a there has b e described is this speeificationthe means b which the device adapted foruse in pm ,uc'ing the different size str i s. q re ien'ce Wil v now describe the means by I whieh'the leather or othersubstance is, cut out, the device having beeri adjusted-to the red size;

ati'on are. supported upon the edgefand corner pieces]? and F, and are moved outwardlywith' the du ng gr d n perat n; mu e met-WW e il st hlg hem orf each. i The cu t ngin wm ntal ti c n n th fl xis. ble kniveswhich follow the inner surface or eontour of theedge and corner pieces and F and; are given anendwise and'downward moves merit. The knives arerna'der of inateri alsuc'h as Spr ng-stee t n of r c ivi gnd .re-i tainingi aj keenfedge,,while at thesafme time possessing-a high degreeof. flexibility; The I fnives arearrangedyin two sets, one for the top,

bottom, which, cuts the. ,rights, it beingpos u n n t eimp em ri up de down- Two kniyesarelprov dedi for eaeh, set on each side of theimp ceme t- Referring; to-Figs; 4-, 5, and 7;, the-knivesin the Wa des g a ed: and" 2- a d 7 those, in! the lower set 22,, and 23. The, two

knives; in each. set 'overlayieach other, as seen, at 241 Flgs, 3 and 1"1,'ai 1 are thinned or-bevel'edior thi purpose toward their inner distances from the ,rie ners. I also place ball-bearings 39 in the edge, pieces, as seen 1D. Flg. 4, in which the knives. 22 and 23- ar'e brokenl away to show 'The knivesai'e supported at their'outer ends by swinging links 25, one end of which has a,

portion 26, (see Fig. 9,) turned to a slightly The, other end of the link 25 is correspondinglyiturned down to form a shoulder and theend drilled and tapped to receive a screw 27,- the head of which is received within the hole 28, drilled from the outsideof the corners piece F. This arrangement of the swinging inks 25 makes it possible to take out the knives when necessary to be sharpened by loosening the screw 27, when the other end. of

the swinging link 25 can be disengaged from the holesfin the knife-blade.- The inner ends of the knives are screwed or otherwise suitably attached to racks 29 and 3,0jby screws '31. V For the sake of adjustment to take up the wear of the knives'l provide slots321 in the knives to receive the heads. of the screws 31 (see Fig. 12,) the heads of the screws being flush with the surface of the-blade. The

ends ofthe racks 29 and 30 butt against each other, as shown in Fig. 4, where the knives and connected parts are shown in the position assumed before the cutting operation, begins;

To guide the racks 2 9 and 30 during the end r wise'inovement of theblades in the cutti'n' operation, guides 32 and '33 (see Figs. an 13)are pi 'ovided, sliding in corresponding holes in the racks 29 and 3 'Aspring' 34, i attached to hooks or projections 35, on the we: I

racks, insuresthe return of the knives and attached racks to their original position after ;the.cu tting operation. The flexible knives are guided at the curves in the edge and corre ui 1 ner pieces E and-F and-.elsewherai-f desired,

ll? parts which perform the cutting-'oper- In practice I --em-.

in lugs 38 on the edgeLpiecesE at the cor rollers 36, mounted on, axles 37 and car-- the hearin s. These bearings serve to mini I ;rn i ze the riction on the -knives. Bearings and rollers similar "to those shown in the 1 drawings may be used in connection with the knives wherever it is found necessary or dei-sirable to: do so, as Where, the sides are more or less sharply curved. The. kniveson each edge ofmy implement or tool are arranged to be actuated by a single engine or motor,- which is driven by compressed air,- steam,

or other-suitable fiiiid under pressure. The motor is'arranged so that. it will act .upon

whicheverset, 0t knife blades-is in thelower- -m'ost oroperative posit oi'i. The engine or.

motor consists in a cylinder 381', cast in one ipiece with the bed-39L andfsiecure'd to they edge pieee E bymeans of screws40. Compressed air is admitted" to the middle of the cy1ihder'381'. by the pipe41, which connects with the-,main pipe 42. Two pistons 43' are rod 44, which is attached to the iston by a The other end of the engine 0011- pin 45. I necting-rod is bent as shown at 46 (see Fig. 6)- and is inserted in a hole in a gear-sector 47, carried on a screw-stud 48 in the edge piece E. The cylinder 381 is provided with exhaust-ports 49, which permit the escape of the charge of compressed air from the cylinder when the pistons have passed them. The gear-sectors 47-engage the racks 29 and 30 when the compressed air is admitted to the cylinder and move the racks and attached knives endwise and downward against the tension of the spring 33 until the position illustrated by the lower knife in Fig. is reached. During this movement the ends of the knives are guided and supported by the swinging links and the centers by the guides 32. The swinging links 25 give to the knives a drawing action, which facilitates the cutting, articularly of tender stock. The Weight 0 the gear-sector 47 andthe engine connecting-rod 44 is sullicie'nt to cause the sector to assume the petition shown in dotted line in Fig. 7 and engage the other rack when the tool is turned other side up to cut the reverse piece. By this arrangement both sets of knives are operated alternately by the same engine, thus sinu'ilil ying the construction and allc'nvingone set ol knives to remain at rest while the others are in operation.

As seen from Figs. 2 and 3, each edge oi the tool is provided with an engine to operate. the kniveslocated at that edge, and all the engines are supplied with. compressed air from the main pipe 42 through the various branch pipes 41 the supply to all being controlled by a single valve 43] in the main pipe. The controhvalve 481 is operated by the workman by means of a button 42). on the top and be tom sides of the implement. The workman is able to give the tool or implement the desired size by a single moven'ient oi" the indicator Si and to cut out the part by pressing thefbuttonfltll on whichever side is uppermost. The prickers or prickanarkers consist in We oppositely-disposed pointed pins 51, (seeFig. 7,) supported in tubular guides 52, which are screwed into the cam-guide 53, fastened tofhc edge piece E by the screws 481 482. The pins 51 are provided with enlarged heads 54, which move in a correspond ing bore in the tubular guides 52. Between the head 54 and the shoulder 55, formed in the tubular guide 52, a spiral spring 56 is placed'which tends to hold the pin in the position shown in Fig. 7. A double-faced cam or wedge 57 is located in the cam-guide 53 and engages thev heads ol" the pins 51 and forces them in opposite directions into the leather at the required points. The earn 57 is actuated by a connecting-rod 58, attached to the cam by a pin 59. The connecting-red 58 is attached at its other end to a sliding sleeveGO by a pin 61, the said sliding sleeve being so located that it will be engaged by a collar 62,fast on the engine connecting-rod 44 toward the end of its stroke. These prickers or prick-markers are located wherever required. In Fi 3 I have shown three and have designated them by the character H.

Referring now to Figs. 13and 15, these show my invention as embodied in an imple- The apparatus for grading and cutting is similar to that previously described in connection with the,quarter-cutter, only such changes being made as are necessary to adapt the mechanism to the peculiar shape of a vamp. Since it is difiicult to tell by inspection whether a vamp is a right or a leit, I find it convenient to provide a device 501, (see Fig. 14,) which I call a right and 'left marker, similar to the prick-markers just described, except that the pinis provided with a die for stamping the letter L or R, as the case may be, in place of the usual pinpoint. t is also convenient that the vamp be creased or marked alongthe center line to indicate the middle to the laster or other subsequent workman. ;To accomplish this, I provide a sliding bar 65, having cross-bars 660 and 661 ,(562, and 663, at the ends of which are pivoted marking-wheels 68. These marking -wheels have sharp peripheries adapted to make a distinct markor crease in the leather without cutting it. The ends of the cross-bars 660, 66], 662, and 663$;aie screwthreaded, as shown, thus providing a convenient adjustment by means of which to compensate for the wear of the Inaliking-wheels. Two slots 69 and 70 are out in the fare-plate to allow the nnirking-wheels access tov the leather. The bar 65 is actuated by anengine 7 l similar to those already described, but provided with only one piston. The piston-rod 72 is bent, as shown, and attached to the slidin; bar. The sliding bar is retracted to its normal position by a spring- 73, attached to a hook 74 on the sliding bar 75.

From the foregoing description it will be clear that my innplement or tool enables the workman to use a single pattern for all the si zes required, that. this pattern may be instantly ad usted to the size required, and that when so adjusted it is possible for the workman to .icut out the piece, prick-mark it, and mark it with the letters R or L bya single movement of the valve controlling the supply of compressed air to the engines or motors, thus doing away with the large numbers o patterns heretofore required and making a considerable saving in time.

hat I claim is. a

1; An implement of. the character described.

comprising a bed-plate, movable edge pieces surroundinfg the said bed-plate, and actuating means or the saidmovable edge pieces.

ment or tool for producing Vamps for shoes.

2. An implementof the character described,

' comprising a bed-plate of a shape substantially' like that of the piece of leather to be .cut, movable ed e pieces surrounding the said bed-plate an 1 actuating means therefor.

' 3.An implement ofthe character described,

comprising a 'b'ed-plate of a shape substantially like that of the pieces of leathe'rto be cut, movable. edge pieces and corner-pieces surrounding'the said'bed-plate and actuating meanstherefor. I

4. An implement of the character described comprising abed plate side and corner pieces of proper contour outside, of th said bed trons.

5. An'implement of the character described comprising a bedplate,'sicle and corner pieces of proper contour outside of the said bedand corner. pieces.

plate and movable toward or away from it to give the pattern the desired size, guiding means'connecting the said side and corner p eces, and actuating means for the said side 6. In an implement of ,"the character described, thecombination with a bed-plate, edge and corner pieces of proper contour, surrounding the said bed-plate and movable in relation thereto, of actuating means for the nected at oneend to the said e ge and cornerpieces, and at the other' end to the said cranks piece.

7. In an implement of the character described, the combination with a bed-plate,

edge and corner pieces of proper contour sur-- rounding the'sai'd bed-plate and movable in relation thereto, ofvactuating means for the contour, connecting rods for the sai pieces, guiding-posts pivotally mounted on tuating means for the sai said edge 1 and corner pieces comprising a crank-piece, connecting rods ivotally connectedat one'end to the saide ge and corner pieces, and at the other end to the said crankpiece, ,and adjusting means for the said co'n-o n'ectingrods. i 8. An "mplement of the character described comprising a bed-plate, edge pieces .of(pro(per e ge the said bed-plate for the said connectingrods, and actuating means for the said connecting-rods. a 9 An implement ofthejcharacter described comprisinga bed-plate, ed e pieces of I V roper contour, connecting-rods or the sa1 edge pieces, guidin -posts pivotally mounted on thesaidbed-p ateandprovided with holes in which the said connectiri r'ods slide, and etc- I connecting-rods.

I 10. An implement of the character described comprising a bed-plate, edge pieces of actuating theisaid connecting-rods.

operation.

proper contour, connecting-rods for the said edge pieces; guiding means for t esaid connecting-rods, and a crank-pieee actuating the ement of the character desaidconnecting-rods, and a crank-piece-pivotally mounted on'thesaid bed-pl'zitcand 12. An implement of he character described comprising a bed-plate, edge'piec'es of proper contour, connecting-rods hinged to the said edge pieces, a crankiece actuating r the saidconnecting-rods, an a si'ze-indica t.

moving in unison-with the said ing' finger, crank-piece.

13. An implement of the character de- I scribed comprising a bed-plate, edge pieces of proper contour, connecting rods hingedto the said edge pieces, a crank-piece actuating the said connecting-rods, a pivot therefor, and a size-indicating finger-fasten the said pivot andmovable therewith,

' 141. An 'n-plement of the character described comprising a bed-plate, edge pieces of proper contour, connecting-rods hin ed to the said edge pieces, adjusting means cradjusting the length of the said connect ngrods, and a crank-piece actuating the said connecting-rods. said edge and corner pieces comprising a I crank piece', connecting-rods ivotally" con-- 15.An implement of the character describedfcomprising an adjustable pattern,

and cuttingmechanism movable with the said pattern forfadjustment therewith, and independently of the said pattern to perform the cutting operation.

16. An "mplement of the character described comprising a pattern, and'flexible' knives following the edge contour of the said pattern and movable independently of the said pattern to erform the cutting, operation.

17. An imp ement of the character described comprisin an adjustable pattern and flexible knives fol owing the edgecontour of the said pattern and movable independently of the saidbpattern to perform the cutting .18. An implement of the character de- 1 scribed comprising a bed-plate movable edge pieces of-proper contour movable toward or away from the said bed-plate to form a pattern of the desired sizev and flexible knivesfol'- lowing the contour ofthe said movable ed e pieces and movable independently of'the-sai'd pattern to perform the cuttingoperation.

19. An implement of the character described comprising a bed-plate movable edge pieces ofip'r'oper contour movable toward or away from the said bed-plate to form a pat tern of the desired si'zeand flexible knivesfolpie'cesand movable independently of the'said 'lOO 'lowingthe' ,con'tourpf the said movable ed e v pattern to perform the cutting operation, said flexible knives being 'mounted on the said edge pieces and movable therewith.

20. An implement of the character described, comprising a bed plate, edge pieces of pro or contour movable toward or away from t e said bed-plate to term a pattern of the desired size, and flexible knives following the contour of the said edge pieces, and arran ed in airs for the upper and lower faces of the imp ement.

21. An implement of the character described, comprising a bed-plate, edge pieces of proper contour outside of the said bedplate and movable toward or away from said bed-plate to form a pattern of the desired size and flexible knives following the contour of the said edge pieces and arranged in pairs each pair comprising two overlapping knives.

' 22. The cutting mechanism for an implement of the character described comprising a pair of flexible knives, guiding and supporting means for the said knives, and operating means imparting an endwise movement to the said knives during the cutting operation.

23. The cutting mechanism for an implement of the character described comprising a pair of flexible knives, swinging links supporting said knives, racks fast to each of said 'nives, and a slidingconnection between the said racks.

24.. The cutting mechanism for an implement of the character described comprising a pair of flexible knives, swinging links suporting said knives, racks fast to each of said nives, a sliding connection between the said racks, and operating means for said knives imparting an endwise movement thereto.

25. The cutting mechanism for an implement of the character described comprising air of flexible knives, guiding and su )portmg means for the said knives, a rack ass to each of said knives, and 'a sector of a gear engaging the said rack and operating means for the said sector.-

26. The cutting mechanism for an implement of the character described comprising a air .offlexible knives, guiding and su porting means for the said knives, a rack ast to each of said knives, a sector'of a gear engaging the said rack and a fluid-pressure-oper ated cylinder piston-rod and intermediate connections operating the said sector.

27. The cuttin mechanism for a reversible implement oi the character described, comprising two pairs of knives, one for rights and one for lefts, racks for each of the said knives a sector of a gear pivoted between the;

pairs of racks, and caused by gravity to en-. 7

gage the lower rack whenever the implement 1s turned over and operating means for the said sector.

28. The cutting mechanism for an in1plement of the character described, comprising a pair of flexible knives, guiding and supporting means for the said knives, operating means imparting endwise movement to the said knives in one direction during the cutting operation, and retracting means as a spring-for the said knives.

29. The cutting implement comprising cut ting mechanism operated b afluid-pressure-actuated piston and cy inder, a cutter connecting-rod provided with a shoulder, a slidable connection on the said connectingrod and engaged by. the said shoulder, a

pricker-pin, a cam-surface engaging the head of said pricker-pin, and a connecting-rod between the said slidable connection and the said cam-surface whereby the said cam-surface is moved. during a portion only of the stroke of thecutter connecting-rod.

30. The cutting implement comprising flexible edge knives prickers, fluid-pressureactuated operating means for the said edge knives, and prickers, and a control-valve controlling the supply of fluidressure to the operating means for the or ge knives and prickers.

, 31. The reversible cutting implement co1nprising a pair of bed-plates, edge pieces of proper cont-our movable toward or away from the said bed-plates to form a pattern of the desired size, and flexible knives following the edge contour of the said pattern, arranged in sets on the topandbottom sides of the said implement. I

32. The implement of the character described comprising an adjustable pattern, flexible knives carried on the edge oi said pattern and antii'riction-bearings tor the said flexible knives.

33. An implement of the character dcsoribed, comprising an adjustable pattern, flexible knives following the edge contour of the said pattern, pricking mechanism, and center-marking mechanism.

34. An implement of the character described, comprising a pattern, flexible knives, following the edge contour of the said pattern, guiding and supporting means, and fluid-pressure-operated actuating means for the said knives.

In testimony whereof I afl'ix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

i EDWARD R. SHAW.

Witnesses:

GEORGE P. D1xn,

WILLIAM A. COPELAND. 

